


Something Like a Miracle

by Henry_Sturges_to_Henry_Lincoln



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Chuck Lives, The Death Cure Spoilers, The Scorch Trials Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 09:51:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 18,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12129879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Henry_Sturges_to_Henry_Lincoln/pseuds/Henry_Sturges_to_Henry_Lincoln
Summary: Thomas is heart broken at the loss of Chuck. Even as they begin their journey through the Scorch, he can't think of anything else. Then, almost as quickly as he lost him, he's back. And he's Immune. Thomas now has him back, and intends to keep it that way, as they face impossible obstacles just to feel safe again. Just so Thomas can make Chuck feel safe.***A request by Juris Königsbach! It's very different from what I usually do (No romance, just brotherly love!!) but I am eager to do it anyway! Enjoy!!NOTE: It's not necessarily going to be remaining completely true to the books or even the movies. I'm sort of just going to take this and run with it. And the Scorch Trials and Death Cure are going to somewhat mold together in many aspects, so just be prepared for things to be very different than you know them to be!***





	1. An Odd Man With a Special Delivery

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> This is a new request, and a new adventure for me to be writing! I'm so excited--SWEET LITTLE BABY CHUCK LIVES!! I apologize if the beginning is somewhat rough, I haven't spent as much time brainstorming how this is going to go as I'd like, and this is completely different for me! Wish me luck!   
> AND THIS CHAPTER IS SO, SO, SO, SHORT.   
> I know, I apologize for that! I have to be leaving soon, and want to plan the reunion out carefully, but I did at least want to start this today! So I guess just kind of consider this as an introduction, and not necessarily a new chapter, haha! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

The storm was over outside, but the one inside him wasn't. 

It seemed worse now. Now that they had lived through that, now that everyone was silent, Thomas' thoughts were much louder. He had been able to forget, for a short time, about Chuck. Running for his life during that hell, he was able to think just about surviving. Now though, it was back, and stronger than ever, as if to make up for lost time. To punish him for thinking of anything else. 

Thomas pulled his knees to his chest, his heart breaking. He didn't know he had any heart left to be broken, but it seemed to break all over again with every passing second. Every new surge of pain shattered him, racked his body with grief and regret.  _Why'd he protect me? I shouldn't have let him. I should've pushed him away._

He hung his head, resting them on his knees, wishing for sleep. Anything to be able to take his mind off this pain, just for a little while. 

His wish was granted. 

 

When he awoke, sunlight was streaking in through the spaces between the boards.

He looked around; most of the Gladers were sleeping, including Minho, who looked in pain, even in his sleep. Newt was awake, staring off. "Hey." Thomas said, relieved he could hear again. 

"Hey." Newt said, glancing at him. "How are ya feelin'?" 

Thomas wasn't sure if he was referring to the storm or Chuck, so he just shrugged. "I'm alright, I guess." he lied. What else was he supposed to do? Telling him of his pain wouldn't change it. And Thomas wasn't exactly ready to talk about it, either. 

Minho moaned, and Thomas and Newt scurried over to him. Minho groaned. "I'm shucked. I'm shucked for good," he whined. 

Thomas sighed, relieved to see him alright. Hurt and complaining, but alright. Thomas wasn't sure how many more losses he could take. 

As if he had jinxed it, a voice sounded from above. "Oh, well hello!" 

Thomas didn't even have to look; a man came falling and rolling down to meet them. Everyone just stared at him, startled. He smiled, but there was an edge of lunacy to it. "Can't talk?" 

"Hi," Thomas replied weakly. 

The man nodded. "There we go." he looked about each and every one of their faces closely, like he was looking for something. And whatever he was looking for, he apparently found. "Well I bet I know who you all are." he looked Thomas dead in the eye. "You Thomas?"

Thomas recoiled slightly, he glanced at Minho and Newt, who looked just as clueless as he did. "How do you know that?..." 

The man winked. "Got a special delivery here for ya." 

"What delivery?" Newt asked skeptically. 

The man put his hands on his hips.

"A real special one. Left here from our Miss Ava Paige herself." 


	2. A Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> Sorry this update is much later than I had expected, but here it is!! Please do enjoy even if these chapters always do end up being much shorter than I think they will... XD They'll be longer once the bulk of the story starts though, worry not!  
> ***I do NOT own The Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

"What the heck are you talking about?" Minho spat. "What  _delivery?_ " 

The man glared at him. "I wasn't talking to you," he said, looking back to Thomas. "Come with me, we're wasting time." 

Newt grabbed Thomas' arm. "Don't go with that guy, he's probably just going to bloody kill you." he said, half addressing the man, half addressing Thomas. The other Gladers were either still out from the storm, or stayed pinned against the wall, terrified. 

Thomas swallowed the sour taste of fear. "Why? What do you want to show me?" 

The man looked a bit annoyed. "Your delivery, remember? Just come with me or I'll make you come with me." 

Minho, Newt, and Thomas exchanged nervous glances. Thomas just nodded. "Okay," he said, getting to his feet. Obviously he didn't want to, but he figured if he could avoid getting himself and any of the other Gladers killed, that'd be best. 

The man glanced over his shoulder at the others. "You all stay here. I wouldn't move around too much or my friends might come down here," he said, amused, then began leading the way. 

Thomas watched all the Gladers look overhead, and their faces go white. Thomas didn't look. 

The man stopped in front of a door, just as worn down and as bad of shape as the rest of the place. He looked Thomas up and down, and a sudden seriousness took his face. "What I'm about to show you ain't no gift, you understand? Paige told me to give it to you, and in return, you'd take me and Brenda with you to your safe-zone you are all trying to get to." 

Thomas watched him cautiously. "What's inside?" 

"You're going to take us with you?" The man asked, harder this time. 

Thomas narrowed his eyes, finding some foolish strength from somewhere. "It depends on what's inside." 

The man glared at him for a moment, then just chuckled. "Okay." he said, amused. "Go inside."

Thomas glanced at the door, holding his breath. He couldn't imagine that anything good would be waiting for him on the other side. But when he pushed the door open, he realized he was so wrong. 

His blood was ice for a moment, staring. A familiar figure sleeping on a little pile of blankets. He braced himself against the wall, not sure when his legs had gone weak. Thomas glanced at the man, eyes wide. The man just grinned in response. "Definitely the right Thomas, I see." 

 _There's no way,_ he thought, approaching the sleeping figure slowly. 

But as he knelt down beside it, he knew it was real. It was Chuck, it was really chuck. He lightly shook him awake, his heart pounding in his chest. He waited for something, anything to be wrong. For him to be sick, for him to be dead, for this to be some trick. But Chuck sat up and when he saw Thomas, he smiled bigger than Thomas had ever seen. 

Thomas let out a sputtering gasp, turning into some sort of choked sob of a laugh. "Chuck!" he cried, throwing his arms around him. 

Thomas could feel his eyes filling with tears, but he barely noticed. He could only feel his heart, suddenly alive again. He hadn't realized how cold it had grown, how dead and empty he had felt until now; until he was filled with actual fear that his heart would burst. 

"What happened?" Thomas asked, his voice shaking with emotion, blinking through tears. He pulled away so he could see Chuck's face, but found himself still holding Chuck's arms somewhat tightly, as if Chuck might just disappear again. "I saw you die, how are you here?" 

Chuck shrugged, not even bothering to wipe the tears on his face. He just laughed, looking just as emotional and borderline hysterical as Thomas. "I don't know! They saved me, said it was part of the Trials or some klunk." 

Thomas smiled, looking over him, just to make sure he was for real. He hugged him again. "Are you hurt? Did these people do anything to you?" he asked, lowering his voice slightly, not forgetting about the man nearby. Suddenly, Thomas was more protective than he thought possible. He had a feeling that wasn't going to go away now that he had Chuck back. 

"No," Chuck said as he hugged him back. "I'm fine. Jorge has been kinda nice to me, actually." 

Thomas clung to him. Every part of him felt alive again; he had been so racked with grief, his body had forgotten anything else. This feeling of sheer, completely raw love for him, for the boy who had become the closest thing to a brother he'd ever had, felt new to him all over again. It threatened to take over him, and he gladly let it. 

Speaking of Jorge, he cleared his throat, snapping Thomas out of it. 

Thomas looked over his shoulder, pulling Chuck in against him. Jorge grinned. "I'm guessing we have a deal?" 

Thomas looked down at Chuck in his arms, checking just  _one more time_ to make sure he was real. Then he looked at Jorge and he nodded. 

"Deal." 


	3. The Beginning of An Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> Hmm. I feel like this chapter is somewhat rough, as well. I think I'm starting to ease into it, but I do think I need to find my rythmn into this story, if you know what I mean (if you write, then you probably do. Otherwise, I probably just sound a whackjob XD). So please do patient with me while I attempt to find it!   
> Regardless, please do enjoy! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own The Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Jorge was, clearly, pleased. "Good to hear, hermano. I'll tell Brenda, and we'll sneak out of here right away," he chirped, spinning on his heels and stepping out. Thomas briefly wondered about him. if they could trust him, and why he wanted to leave his people so bad. But Thomas supposed he had better things to think about. 

Chuck swallowed hard, looking at Thomas nervously. "The others? Is it just you?"

Thomas smiled. "Of course not." His smile fell a moment after. "Well, we lost some people. A lot of people. But we still have some of us left. And that's what matters." _And you're here now_ Thomas thought, _so everything is much better than it's been._

They finally did manage to get to their feet and head out there.

All the Gladers were sitting around; there were many more people around now. All of them with some sort of nasty weapon--whether it be an actual weapon or something hand-crafted and makeshift, but it seemed Jorge had called them off for the most part; they didn't look like they intended to try and attack anybody. But damn, they sure did look ready if that were to change.

Minho was the first one to notice. "No way."

Newt turned to look, his face mirroring the same shock, almost comically so. "Chuck?"

Of course, that sent every last Glader swinging their heads that way. Thomas just took a step back, cause he knew what would happen next. And of course, he was right. It started with Newt, then everyone else--all of them coming to see Chuck, hugging him, spouting question after question at him. Chuck looked somewhat overwhelmed, but he was smiling and laughing the entire time.

Thomas just stood back, arms crossed, grinning.

And as he watched them, he couldn't believe just how much better he felt. Like he was alive again. It made him think; how had he managed to go on for so long, feeling so empty and miserable as he did? And how would he go on if something ever happened to Chuck again? He imagined he probably wouldn't. 

"We gotta get out of here soon," Jorge muttered in his ear, taking him by surprise.

"What?" Thomas asked, glancing over his shoulder. "Why?"

"Because it's just Brenda and I that are getting out here. The sooner we slip out the better, or else these Cranks I spend my time with might get on to something," he looked around, watching their faces. "And they're much farther gone, hermano. If they find out, they won't be trying to come with us, they'll be trying to kill us."

Thomas frowned deeply, looking at Chuck, at Newt, at Minho, at all the other Gladers. He had just got a member of his family back, and while it may be a much smaller family than he had started with, he'd be damned if he was about to let anything happen to it. Thomas simply nodded. "What's the plan?"

 

They were all given some food.

Just some canned beans. Jorge and Brenda seemed to think it was nothing special, but Thomas was practically drooling over it. He hadn't realized how hungry he'd gotten until now, and he was just practically inhaling his food. 

Chuck gave him a sideways look with a, while disgusted, amused grin. "You know you're still gross when ya eat, right?" 

"Some things don't change," Thomas remarked happily through a mouthful. 

By now, these Cranks had stopped suspecting anything. Many of them even left, returning to the upper layers of their building. A couple stayed and ate with Jorge and a tough-looking girl, who Thomas assumed was Brenda.

Thomas was leaned up against the wall, Newt on one side, Chuck on the other, and Minho sitting in front of him. "So when's this happening?" Minho whispered.

"Soon," Thomas whispered back. "Once we finish eating, Jorge and Brenda are going to pretend to send us on our way. They're going to make sure it's just them who do it, so we can all escape together. Hopefully unnoticed."

"Should we really be trustin' them, though?" Newt chimed in, quietly.

"They're not bad people," Chuck assured. "We can trust them." 

Thomas nodded. "Good enough for me." If Chuck of all people thought they could be trusted, then surely they could.

Soon, Jorge stood and stretched. "Well I think it's about time we showed these newcomers out of here." 

Brenda stood casually. "I'll go with you in case they try anything funny."

None of the other Cranks seemed to care much besides maybe two, who eyed them somewhat suspiciously. But even they soon shrugged it off and returned to their canned food and small, unusually hushed conversations.

"Go easily and no one gets hurt," Jorge said, standing before them. Thomas almost forget this was a plan; he sure could be menacing. Surely there was no way anyone would expect anything.

The Gladers filed out, and Thomas kept close to Chuck. He wouldn't risk anything happening to him again, even if that meant hovering around him as if he didn't know how to do anything else.

Once Jorge had walked them a decent distance from their run down building, he began motioning forward. "Hurry, let's head closer to the city." he whispered, rushed. Brenda was already jogging off as he was speaking.

Just as the others were going to start, a shockingly jagged knife landed in the ground near Jorge.

Thomas pulled Chuck in closer to him, turning to see one of the Cranks glaring them down. And by the look in their eyes, something told Thomas they weren't going to be getting out of here smoothly.


	4. A Little One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, lovelies!!
> 
> Updates will be more consistent, I just had a busy past couple days <3
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Jorge didn't even look phased.

He simply turned around to look at the ones who had thrown the knife, hands on his hips. "What was that for?" he asked innocently.

There was only two of them, but they weren't buying it.

"You're leaving with these kids," one of them hissed.

"Leaving?" Jorge asked, shaking his head. "I'm just walking them away from our home. Why would I go with  _them?"_

The other Crank produced a broken pocket knife, brandishing it. "Somehow, I don't think that's true."

Jorge dropped the act, crossing his arms. "Hmm. Well if you're going to do something about it, I suggest doing it now. As you so kindly noticed, we have somewhere to be."

Thomas grabbed Chuck's arm. "Stay behind me," he said, leaving no room for question.

Chuck obeyed, scurrying behind him. Minho crossed his arms. "Please, all of us against these two? Nothing to it."

"Actually, hermamos." Jorge said. "You and Brenda are going on ahead. I'll catch up."

Thomas looked at him, shaking his head. "What? No way, we'll have more of a chance to beat them together."

Brenda nodded. "I'm not leaving without you, Jorge."

"You have to. These people are our ticket out of here. They need to stay out of harm, and you need to protect them." Jorge said matter-of-factly.

Brenda looked like she wanted to argue, but she swallowed it down and turned. "Follow me."

The Glades looked to Thomas. Thomas looked at Chuck; he needed to get him away from danger. "Okay," he said, turning to follow.

Even as he walked away though, he threw a regretful glance back at Jorge. _Even if he does want to use as a ticket out of here, I won't forget that he held to Chuck. He didn't hurt him or even mistreat him at all. And those people could've tried to hurt Chuck. In fact, I'm sure they did. But Jorge kept him safe._

Thomas pushed it all behind him. He needed to get Chuck out of here for now. If it wasn't for that, he probably would've stayed and fought.

Brenda led them off a ways, deeper into the city. No one said anything as they ran, but Thomas heard things now and then--giggles, wails, whispers--coming from somewhere within the city. Eventually, the sounds disturbed him to the point where he took Chuck's hand and pulled him closer as they ran. Just in case.

Just when Thomas thought his lungs might burst, Brenda finally stopped. She looked around, then wandered towards a building. It was weathered, but it's foundation was steel and remained, even though most of the walls and windows had been broken or ripped off. She walked inside, sitting right on the floor. "We'll wait here for him."

Chuck looked at Thomas. "Did you hear all those sounds?" he asked, doing little to hide the fear in his voice as he worked on catching his breath. 

Thomas' heart twisted at the sound of it. He hated to see Chuck scared. So he pretended it wasn't bothering him and just ruffled up Chuck's hair. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. That was awhile back."

Newt stood, hands on his knees as he continued to catch his breath. "Is he gonna be alright? What if the other bloody Cranks decided to team up on him?"

"He'll still be fine," Brenda assured. She didn't look happy about it, but she looked confident.

Thomas sighed a bit. This was going to be the worst part; waiting.

 

Darkness had just began creeping across the sky when they heard footsteps outside.

Brenda stood slowly, Thomas mimicked her worriedly.

"Calm down, hermanos, I'm not gonna eat ya."

Thomas sighed with relief, as did half the Gladers. Chuck just smiled, looking relieved.

Jorge walked in and stretched. "You guys sure did run far. Nicely done." he plopped down. "Maybe we should rest here and head out tomorrow. Think we'll reach the place you're supposed to go by tomorrow?"

Minho nodded. "Probably. If we bust our butts." Minho happily curled up on the floor. "So yeah, let's get some shuckin' sleep."

Thomas sat back down besides Chuck, leaning against a remaining section of wall. He closed his eyes and willed sleep, knowing they'd be moving nonstop tomorrow.

Just as sleep began warping his reality, something clanged loudly overhead. His eyes shot open and he looked around, wondering if he'd dreamt it. Until he saw everyone else was already peering upwards.

They all waited, but it was silent.

Then again, shuffling footsteps. This time, it came from their floor.

Very similar to a ghost, a man shuffled into the moonlight streaking through the holes and deep scars of the building.

He was wearing business attire, but it was long since torn and worn out. "You guys have something cool," he whispered.

"Oh yeah?" Brenda asked, her tone almost friendly. "What's that?"

The man put a finger to his lips like he was shushing her, then pointed at Chuck.

"A little one." 


	5. Death and Heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> Sorry this is late!! Just when I think my schedule has cleared, I end up being busy again... xD It's getting pretty late here and I STILL have some things to attend to, but I am going to post quick updates for everything first! I don't want to leave you all hanging without one for another day--so please do forgive me if this chapter ends up seeming a bit rushed! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Something flared in Thomas' chest. 

The Crank didn't move, just stood there, staring and pointing at Chuck. In fact, he didn't even blink; and Thomas felt a shiver down his spine, it was utterly disturbing. 

Brenda spoke, finally breaking the heavy silence. "Yep, we do. And now we all gotta go," she said, backing up. "So we'll see you later, okay?" 

The Crank cut his gaze to her, and he definitely didn't look happy. Thomas glanced over at Chuck; he was already staring up at him, looking frightened. Thomas put a hand on his shoulder and began leading him out towards the exit. 

Apparently, that was not the right move. 

The Crank screamed, the sound so loud and sudden it made Thomas jump. Before he could even look over there, the Crank was there, shoving him to the ground, hard and spastic. The reactions were immediate; Brenda and Jorge no longer looked so friendly, producing weapons. Half the Gladers backed away, the other got to their feet and stood, frozen. 

Thomas scrambled to sit up, struggling to catch his breath that had been knocked out of him. 

The Crank just stood there between Thomas and Chuck, his chest heaving heavy breaths of rage. He glared at Thomas, but he made no move towards him. Just when Thomas was sure he'd spend the rest of his life, just staring back at this Crank, it whirled around and tackled Chuck to the ground. 

Everyone either felt the need to, or surged forward, even if just a couple steps. But they didn't need to, Thomas was there in a second. He grabbed the Crank by the back of his shirt and yanked him off, heaving with the effort and threw him back. 

Brenda and Jorge were after the Crank immediately, but Thomas didn't notice what happened next. 

Instead, he grabbed Chuck by the front of his shirt and yanked him up, gripping at him and looking all over him for injuries. "Are you okay!?" Thomas asked, breathless, feeling like he was losing his mind with worry. 

Chuck just nodded, but he let Thomas check him anyways. He probably figured Thomas wasn't going to back off, even if he wanted him to. "I'm fine, Thomas," he said, sounds relieved, as if he hadn't been sure. 

Thomas let out a sigh of relief, his heart racing. Not from the effort it took to pull the Crank off, or the recent loss of breath, but from terror. It was almost shocking to Thomas how terrified he had became the moment that Crank attacked Chuck. 

Thomas glanced back over, just in time to see Brenda sink a knife into the Crank's skull. 

Chuck gasped and Thomas pulled him in close, blocking his view. Thomas sort of wish someone would've done the same for him; he watched the color drain from the Crank's insane-filled eyes, watched his chest spasm with its one last desperate breath of air. 

"Christ," Newt said, wide-eyed, speaking the thought on everyone's mind. 

Brenda and Jorge just shrugged it off as if it were nothing. Maybe it was nothing out here; all the more reason to get out of here. 

Brenda plopped back down on the floor, Jorge did the same. Meanwhile, all the Gladers just stood there and stared at them, shocked. Brenda looked around at their baffled faces and scoffed. "It happens, calm down." 

Thomas swallowed down the bile in his throat, looking to the body. It was shocking how easy it was to tell what was living and what was dead. If Thomas had just walked in and seen the body, without the wound or anything, he would know. It was like looking at a full glass of water and an empty one. One was clearly just nothing more than an empty vessel. It turns out life makes as much as a physical affect on a body as anything else. 

Jorge sighed, following the gazes of the Gladers. "Fine, if we get the body out of here, will you all go to sleep?" 

Minho just nodded. "I think that's a fair deal," he said, and despite trying to sound like his usual self, there was a bit of dryness to it. 

Jorge and Brenda performed the task like it was nothing more than taking out the trash. Thomas finally let Chuck free, though Chuck hadn't exactly acted like he had wanted to see anyway. Chuck and Thomas exchanged pale-faced looks, then just settled onto the floor without another word. 

 

Most of the Gladers had fallen asleep, and Thomas wished he could do the same. 

But he kept thinking about those eyes, thinking about the way the life just diminished from them so quickly. Even worse, Thomas had a feeling he'd see it again in the future. 

"Thomas," Chuck whispered, startling Thomas.  

"Why aren't you asleep?" Thomas whispered back, glancing over at him. 

Chuck had his back to him, and didn't turn over when he spoke. "Do you think when we get to the safe-zone, we'll get to get away from all this?" 

Thomas frowned sadly. Chuck was just a kid, he didn't deserve to be going through this. "I do," Thomas said. He was neither confident nor doubtful of that answer, but he decided then to believe in it. If it was true, Chuck could live at least somewhat normally--he'd take anything, so long as Chuck didn't have to see the life leave a person's body. 

Chuck just nodded. "Okay." he could hear the smile on the boy's face. "I'll hold ya to that." 

 

Jorge woke them right as the sun was beginning to come up. 

Thomas wished he had slept sooner, and heavier, but he couldn't fight the fear that once he slept, something else would come for them. Specifically, for Chuck. After the attack the other day, it dawned on Thomas how much more terrified he was at the thought of something happening to Chuck. If he were to lose him again, Thomas was sure he wouldn't be able to go on. Not after getting him back. 

The Gladers groaned and quietly complained to themselves, but nobody argued. Chuck sat there, rubbing his eyes, trying to feel awake. Thomas yawned, resting his head on his knees, waiting for everyone else to get up before they took off. Judging by the way Jorge and Brenda looked compared to all the others, death wasn't too daunting for them. 

They all managed to get to their feet and head out, the sun already starting to become harsh. 

They looked out over the city; it wouldn't take them long to get through it, and they'd continue out onto open land until they got to the safe-zone. "What do you think we'll find there?" Minho asked. 

"Hopefully a nice bed and some real food," Thomas murmured. 

Chuck nodded. "That'd be nice." 

Jorge put his hands on his hips. "Well. Only way to find out is to go find out," he chirped, and began heading off. 

Thomas almost groaned at his energy, despite being able to feel his gradually returning to him. Minho actually  _did_ groan. "That guy needs to be tired and upset like the rest of us," he complained, following. 

Thomas glanced down at Chuck. "Ready?" 

Chuck nodded once, looking determined. "The sooner we get there the better." 

Thomas grinned, feeling a bit determined himself now. 

The sooner they got there, the sooner he could have some peace of mind knowing Chuck would be somewhere safe. 

So despite the tired weighing down on his limbs, he took a breath, and followed the others. 

 

The heat was the absolute worst. 

Worse than the laughs and jeers and deadly stares they encountered from all around the city, worse than the smell of neglect in the city, worse than the way the hard pavement and asphalt beneath them pounded on the their feet. 

At the absolute least, the heat was dry. It didn't feel heavy or unbearable. But Thomas wouldn't deny the rush of euphoria when they sat in some shade to take a break and eat. No one spoke for awhile, just enjoying food and relaxation, but when someone did speak, not surprisingly, it was Chuck. 

"How much longer until we're out of the city?" he asked with a whine. 

"Not long," Jorge assured. "Then we get to go wander however long to get to this safe-zone. What are we gonna find there anyway?" 

"I don't know," Minho said. "We just gotta get there. Surely, there will be something waiting there for us." 

"There better be," Newt added. "I'm sick and tired of this already." 

Thomas frowned a bit. He hadn't really thought of that.  _What if there's nothing there? Then what?_

Chuck nudged him. "Hey," he said, smiling a little. "Stop looking so moody, we'll get there and it'll be fine." 

Thomas smiled back, his doubts immediately washing away. "You're right." he said, focusing back on his food. 

Tonight, they'd get through the city. Tomorrow, they'd make their way to the safe-zone. 

Soon, this would all be over. 


	6. Things to Come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! It has finally happened, I finally have a solid plan for this story! 
> 
> Well, at least I have started to write out my plan for this story... It's late here, because, again, I ended up going out and doing things, ugh. But I already have the next 12 chapters planned out and am definitely not done yet! So this one is sort of a transition-like chapter, a bit rough. I don't have much planned for this one, but I'm hoping the chapters from here on out take a much better turn, now that I have a plan finally formed for this story! :D   
> Oh, and it's gonna be Chuck's POV in the next chapter!   
> Please do enjoy! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

They dragged through the city, resting once night fell. 

They were so close to the outside of the city, Thomas almost didn't want to sleep, but he was exhausted. His muscles ached miserably, his throat felt dry, and he could feel the threat of a headache at the back of his head. Even still, he might've suggested pushing on, but when he noticed how tired Chuck looked, he supposed they should rest before continuing. 

No one argued, and no one had any trouble falling asleep. 

 

When Thomas awoke again, he felt much better. 

Thomas sat up without any hesitance or complaint; he felt practically reborn. Chuck woke up without trouble, seeming to feel exactly the same. Somehow, he felt even better after they ate. 

"Ready to keep going?" Thomas asked as he stood with a stretch. 

Chuck mimicked him, nodding. "Almost there!" 

Thomas smiled; Chuck's enthusiasm was enough to give him some hope. "Then let's get moving." 

 

"So did you actually die?" 

"I think so?" Chuck said, sounding unsure. "I don't know. I know it hurt, and I went unconscious. And when I woke up again, I was on a hospital bed, and a bunch of skinny, stuck-up lookin' shucks were standing over me." 

Thomas laughed. "Yeah, that's a good way to describe them." 

Chuck laughed too. "But yeah, then they just dropped me off with Jorge, and I waited for you guys to get here. Took ya long enough." 

Thomas grinned. "Yeah, yeah, shut up." Thomas said, shoving him playfully. 

"You guys see that?" Minho called out, putting his hand over his eyes to shield the sun from then as he squinted off in the distance. 

Thomas and Chuck exchanged glances, rushing up to the front with them. 

"Is that what I bloody think it is...?" Newt muttered, hands on his hips as he squinted against the sun. 

Thomas shielded his eyes from the light and squinted as well. 

Off in the distance was a group of people, coming their way. Thomas tried to focus in on the people, but it was nearly impossible to tell with how far away they were. But if he really strained, it almost seemed like they were girls.  _Could it be...?_

Chuck looked at Thomas. "Do you think it's Teresa?" 

"I think so..." Thomas said, something spiking in his chest. They had finally found her, and it seemed like she was with the rest of Group B. "But we'll never know for sure until we meet up with them," Thomas said, glancing at Minho and Newt. "So we better get moving."

Minho nodded in agreement. "You heard him, let's keep pushing on!" 

Chuck smiled up at Thomas. "I missed Teresa," he said as they kept on walking. 

Thomas smiled at him. "I have, too." he said simply. 

 

The closer they got, the more Thomas was sure that it was the girls. 

It had been awhile since Thomas had seen Teresa; it had felt wrong to not have her there with them, she was part of their family. She was a Glader. 

"They don't look particularly happy," Newt commented. 

And Thomas noticed it, too. They seemed to be marching forward, and looked anything but happy. They even carried some weapons. Chuck glanced at Thomas. "You think they're okay?" 

"I'm sure they are," Thomas assured Chuck, but he had his suspicions. He had to get to her and find out what was wrong. 

When they were only a couple dozen feet away, Thomas began jogging forward. "Teresa!" he cried, rushing to her. "What's wrong, why haven't you been talking to me?!" even as he asked these things, he didn't really care all that much. He was just excited to see her, and couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw Chuck. 

Until, of course, she slammed the butt of her spear right into Thomas' head. 

He crumpled to the ground, eyes wide in pain and shock. He heard the others try to rush to him, but they screamed at them to stay back. They pointed knives and even a bow and arrow. 

Thomas looked up at Teresa, shaking her head. "Teresa--" 

She slammed her spear into him again, making him crumple back to the ground. "Shut up!" she shouted, glaring out at the Gladers. 

Thomas searched her eyes for some sort of sign, but she simply glared. There seemed to be a moment where her features softened, probably when she saw Chuck, but they were cold and steely again in moments; making Thomas wonder if that moment of sincerity had even existed. "We're taking him with us," she said, "and no one's going to follow until we're out of sight." 

Thomas glanced over his shoulder, looking at his Gladers. They all looked like they wanted to move, but they were smart enough not to. 

Chuck opened his mouth to protest, but thankfully Newt put his hand over his mouth. Thomas wasn't sure what he'd do, even to Teresa, if she hurt Chuck. Teresa glared down at him. "Let's go, we're leaving. If you try anything, they'll all get arrows in their skulls." 

Thomas glared at her, something deep inside him turning poisonous towards her. 

He glanced over his shoulder, where Chuck stared back at him, his eyes wide and terrified. 

It wasn't fair, he had just gotten him back, and he hated to see him like that, but he knew he needed to go to keep him safe. 

Thomas just glared back at Teresa furiously. 

"Fine." 


	7. Time to be Brave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> Sorry for yet another late update! I had two dental appointments, grocery shopping, and I filed insurance in my own name! (the joys of turning 18)  
> And tomorrow, we're having furniture delivered, but other than that, there's nothing going on! So the update tomorrow should be a bit sooner!   
> Heads up: This chapter and the next are going to be quite short; there's not for me to write about this part, since they're just making their way to him in this chapter. Next one will be a bit longer, though!! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Chuck stood there, frozen. 

In fact, all of the Gladers did. No one spoke as they watched those girls disappear. Everyone had had their eyes on the girls weapons, meanwhile Chuck just kept his eyes on Thomas.

Just as they were about to leave their sight, Minho cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted: "We'll come get you, Thomas!" 

But it sounded as hopeless as Chuck felt. They had really just taken him away. Teresa had taken him away. 

It was shocking how quickly his image of her shattered; she had always been kind and beautiful, and Chuck felt like she was family to him. But now he could only see her striking Thomas down to the ground, betraying Thomas. Betraying him. Betraying all of them.  

"We have to get him back," Chuck spoke, his voice weak. 

"We will." Newt assured, beginning to walk forward. "Let's go." 

Chuck followed, his heart racing. He had finally made it back to Thomas, saw he was okay, and now they had taken him away. Chuck's heart hurt as if he had just lost his own brother.  _He's fine,_ he mentally assured himself.  _They won't kill him. Surely Teresa wouldn't do that._

Yet, as they walked, Chuck found himself realizing just how out in the open they were. Before, he hadn't noticed--he always felt safe around Thomas, he knew full-well that Thomas wouldn't let anything happen to him. They had each other's backs. But now, Chuck felt exposed. Minho and Newt made him feel secure, but Thomas was the one who made him feel truly  _safe._

But despite his fear and sudden feeling of vulnerability, he focused ahead. He needed to be brave this time; he couldn't expect Thomas to be the brave one all the time. Even Thomas needed to be scared sometimes, too. And now was one of those times. 

Chuck hung his head as they walked.  _Here I am, feeling sorry for my shuck self. Meanwhile Thomas is out there, kidnapped, probably terrified and hurt._ The thought twisted his heart; he had seen Thomas down before, he had seen him carry so much on his shoulders, but just imagining him in the hands of those girls, he could only imagine how alone and scared he must feel. 

"Hey," Newt said, flicking Chuck's ear. It kind of hurt. "Don't look so sad, Chuckie. We're gonna get him back, you know we will." 

Chuck smiled a bit. Newt was right. 

_We'll get you back, Thomas, just hold on._

 


	8. Almost There, Almost Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, updates are late... XD 
> 
> I can at least safely say I have nothing going on tomorrow. AND. Furniture we ordered got delivered, and I got a new bed and nightstand! Which doesn't sound that exciting, but the bed frame has shelves and stuff, and now everything is just much more convenient and cozy and I love it!!   
> Anyway, let's move on! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

It felt wrong that they were sleeping. 

Well, the _other_ Gladers were sleeping anyway. Chuck wasn't so lucky. They had walked and jogged all day and still hadn't caught up. The girls' lead was too far, and they were too fast. So Chuck lay awake, not able to shut his eyes for even a second. The only thing he could do was hope Teresa would have enough of her old self to not kill Thomas. 

When they began moving again the next day, the girls had slowed, so the Gladers sped up. 

It felt like forever, but they finally arrived to the girl's group. They were just resting, and looked as if they had been waiting for them. There were no warm greetings or smiles, just looks of acknowledgement and tired expressions. 

Chuck ran forward, a wide smile on his face, his heart rising in his chest. He looked around the group, his heart slowly falling back down the more he looked and the less he saw of any signs of Thomas. "Where's Thomas?" he asked one of the girls finally. 

She shrugged slightly. "He and Teresa went off somewhere. We're waiting here for them." 

Chuck looked at Newt and Minho. Newt was frantically looking around while Minho just sighed heavily, hands on his hips. "Well. If all we can do is wait, then that's all we can do." he said, then offered Chuck a reassuring smile. "And when that shuck-face gets back here, we can kick his sorry butt for making us wait." 

Chuck appreciated the attempt, and he definitely couldn't deny the smile on his face, but he couldn't help worry still. 

So he sat down on the ground, copying many of the girls, and looked around constantly. One of the girls exchanged glances with one of her friends, then came and sat in front of Chuck. "Hey. Are you friends with Thomas then?" she asked politely and somewhat cautiously, like maybe she thought it was crossing a line to speak to him. Maybe it was. 

Chuck nodded. "He's like a brother to me." 

She nodded. "So. Is he a bad guy like Teresa says?" 

Chuck's eyes widened. " _Teresa_ said that? Why would she say that!? Her and Thomas were close, they were good friends. She knows Thomas is good..." his mind was spinning. Something was definitely going on with her, and whatever it was, it wasn't good. 

They sat for hours. It felt like days. 

Gladers lounged around, looking around, waiting--all for the same thing. Thomas. 

The two groups remained somewhat separated. Chuck hadn't realized he was somewhat in the middle of the two groups, but he didn't exactly plan on moving just to avoid the girl's group either. 

Some of the girls looked exhausted, and Chuck wondered if they had slept. A couple were even nodding off as they sat there and waited. Chuck felt somewhat bad for them; whatever was happening, it was WICKED's fault. Or so Chuck hoped. He really would prefer if the group beside them, the  _bigger_ group beside them, wasn't their enemy. 

"There!" 

Chuck turned to where Newt was pointing, snapping to attentiveness. Just a couple dozen feet away, Teresa, Aris, and Thomas were walking towards them. Chuck hadn't even noticed Aris' absence; had he snuck off when they first got there? 

Chuck didn't care enough to think about it; his heart leapt up, lodging in his throat. He got to his feet and ran to Thomas, and Thomas offered a half smile and opened his arms. Chuck crashed into him, burying his head in Thomas' stomach. "You scared me, you shuck-face!" he said, recalling Minho's words and looking up at him. He was about to yell at him more when he saw the look on Thomas' face. 

Of course he was trying to hide it with a pathetic excuse for a smile, but he looked miserable. Like someone had just ripped his heart out and spat on it. Chuck looked at Teresa, who wouldn't look anywhere but the ground beneath her. 

"Thomas?" Chuck asked, lowering his voice. "Are you okay?"  

Thomas nodded. "I'm fine, Chuck. We should keep moving, though. We're close, but this has definitely set us back." 

Chuck wasn't buying it. "Thomas, what happened?" he pressed. 

"Nothing, Chuck." he said, resting his hand on Chuck's head. His smile fell as he stared off. "Just another Variable," he muttered, then started forward. 

Teresa rushed over the moment Thomas was gone and wrapped her arms around Chuck, tears in her eyes, pain in her voice. "Oh Chuck! I thought you were gone--" she pulled away, grabbing Chuck's face and looking all over him lovingly. "I can't believe it, Chuck. I can't believe it." 

Usually, Chuck would've hugged her back and been just as happy and emotional as her, but this wasn't the Teresa he knew. He took a step back. His Teresa held his hand and Thomas' as they were escaping the Maze; she didn't strike Thomas down and take him away. His Teresa was Thomas' best friend. And maybe Chuck could've overlooked the kidnapping, could've been convinced it was something she _had_ to do. 

But the way Thomas looked when he walked away from her was enough to make Chuck think otherwise. 

Chuck simply gave her a smile, and one he knew wasn't even slightly convincing, and turned and walked back to the Gladers. 

It seemed Teresa wasn't one of them. 

 

They walked hard for awhile until people's legs shook with each step, they had to stop and rest when night had fallen. 

Chuck and Thomas sat side-by-side; the destination was in sight, but there was nothing. No building, no land marker, no person waiting, not even a sign. Chuck was terrified. After everything, could it really be that there was nothing? Just some cruel joke from WICKED? Even worse, had they gone the wrong way and waisted all their time? 

Chuck glanced over at Thomas, swallowing his fear of finding nothing after this journey and nudged him. "Thomas. You know you're gonna tell me eventually, you might as well save us both the trouble and do it now," he said, offering a smile. 

Thomas grinned, chuckling. He sighed, the smile slowly falling. He pulled his knees in closer to his chest. "She said some things." 

"That's it?" Chuck asked, quirking an eyebrow. 

Thomas just sighed again and told him everything. How she had put him in that chamber, made him think he was going to die, how she told him she never cared for him and that she had been conversing with Aris the entire time, and that she had never needed him. She told him their friendship had never been real. Nothing more than a decoy so the Gladers would trust her and get her out of the Maze. 

He told Chuck about how he didn't die, and how it was apparently another Variable. That if she hadn't betrayed him like that, WICKED said they would've killed him. "And I know she did it for me, but I feel terrible towards her now. I hate being around her," he grumbled, looking frustrated and depressed all the same. 

Chuck stared off. It was a lot to take in. "Surely she knew they wouldn't kill you," he said, sounding unsure. There really was no right or wrong on either side; it was a rare occasion, indeed. 

"I don't know," Thomas said with a shrug. "I feel bad for being so angry, but I... I almost _hate_ her, Chuck." 

Chuck nodded slightly. "Your feelings are fair. No matter the reason. Now I didn't sleep well last night, and I'm guessing you didn't at all, so stop moping and get some sleep, slinthead," Chuck said, grinning. 

Thomas grinned in return, and maybe it was Chuck's imagination, but he looked a bit less sad. He looked okay. Almost okay. "Fine, fine," he said, getting as comfortable as he could on the ground. "Goodnight." 

"Goodnight, Thomas." Chuck said. 

He considered asking him if he thought the safe-zone was real, and what he thought they'd find when they got there, but he decided it better to just let him sleep. Chuck was barely able to stay awake anymore anyway. 

So with eyes that stung from fatigue, he swallowed the fear that something terrible would be waiting for them, and he let himself fall into a deep and uncomfortable sleep. 


	9. Gone Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies!   
> Sadly, this chapter got somewhat rushed, but I did want to get it in, so my apologizes for any typos!! Though, it is short on purpose, so don't worry about that ;) 
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

They did as they always do, and they continued to push on. 

Thomas' heart still felt a bit heavy, but nothing like the day previous. After sleeping on it, he felt much better. But every time he looked at Teresa, his insides stirred and something heavy and just  _bad_ filled him. He wondered if it was hate. 

Though every time Thomas began to lose himself in these exceedingly frustrating and strenuous thoughts, Chuck would say something; he'd point out how it's not as hot as it has been, or show him a cool rock, or whatever else. Thomas smiled to himself; of course Chuck pretended to be clueless, but Thomas knew Chuck was doing it on purpose. 

The closer they got, the more they realized there was practically nothing there. 

Then they were just a hundred feet away, and they could see something there, in the ground. A wave of relief washed over Thomas; it wasn't what he had expected, but it was something, and Thomas was beyond thankful for that. 

It wasn't until they walked right up to it that they realized it was nothing more than a little flag in the sand. A marker. 

There was no message or instructions or anything. 

"What kind of stupid joke is this!?" Minho shouted, throwing up his hands. "We came all this way, and for what? This? What even is this!?" he looked like he wanted to lash out on the little marker, but at least, for once, he was able to control himself.  _Who knows, maybe that stupid little flag is going to make all the difference._

Chuck grabbed the hem of Thomas' shirt, getting his attention. He frowned deeply up at Thomas. "Do you think something's going to come for us?" 

"Something good, I hope." Thomas said, offering him a smile. "Hey. Something's here, which means we're in the right place. What would be the point of them doing all they did and then just sending us out here for nothing? Everything's going to be just fine, I promise." 

Chuck smiled, a looked of relief falling over his face. "Okay." he said, and Thomas could tell that Chuck really trusted him. It made Thomas' heart constrict; he felt so strongly for this kid. 

Newt was the first one to notice it. "You guys hear that?" 

Everyone stopped and it was completely silent; everyone held their breath. And there was definitely something. A sort of deep, vibrating sound. It was hard to explain, if anything, it was more of a  _feeling._ He felt the thrumming in his ears from somewhere far. 

Then it began coming into sight. "What is that?" Thomas asked, squinting his eyes, pointing at it. 

At the moment, he looked like a big, black smudge across the sky, smearing towards them. As it got a bit closer, it got some dimension to it. Brenda leaned over and whispered something to Jorge, who just nodded. 

"It's a Berg." Brenda said calmly. "Right on time." 

Something switched in Thomas. "On time? You knew this was coming?" 

Brenda and Jorge exchanged glances, then Jorge simply nodded. "Everything will be explained to you once that thing lands and we all load up. Just trust me, hermano." 

Thomas eyed him suspiciously. He had lots of questions, but asking them now would be pointless. Not to mention, the Berg was nearly overhead now, and the powerful engines would've drowned him out if he even tried. 

Painfully slowly, the Berg landed, kicking up sand and dirt all around. Thomas had to shield his face, and he could feel Chuck standing behind him. All the Gladers and girls from Group B were completely quiet. Everything was still for a moment after the craft landed, then there was a click, followed by the cargo hatch falling open very slowly. 

Once it hit the ground, there were soldiers--or something like that. They wore uniforms and helmets, holding nasty looking weapons; big and bulky, and Thomas was sure it could take out every one of them in a heart beat. Thomas herded Chuck further behind him, just in case. 

Again, a silence settled. 

Nothing moved, no one moved. 

Which may have been why it was so startling when the soldiers--or whatever they were--began running at them, full speed. Thomas didn't have time to panic before one of them grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Thomas looked around, that was all they were doing, throwing people aside, holding people back. 

Thomas couldn't understand what was going on, but he heard Chuck scream. 

Thomas jumped to his feet before he even knew where Chuck was. When he saw him, his heart skipped a beat--these men were taking him onto the Berg. But no one else.  _Not again,_ Thomas thought, panic coursing through him. He sprinted forward, but his momentum came to an abrupt and painful stop as one of the men crashed right back into him, holding him back. 

Thomas fought against him; hitting, screaming, writhing and struggling all he could, as were several others Gladers, but it was too no avail. 

The man holding him back suddenly slammed the butt of whatever kind of weapon that was into Thomas' head, knocking him right to the ground. And just as quickly as they'd showed up, they were leaving. 

Thomas dizzily got to his feet, attempting to go after the Berg before the door closed, but he was unsuccessful. 

The last thing he heard was Chuck yelling for him, then the Berg was off. 

Thomas stumbled back onto his rear, watching the giant aircraft retreat. Thomas just stared, wide-eyed. 

Once again, everything was silent. Except Thomas' mind, and his heart pounding in his ears. 

Above everything else, he could only think about one thing: 

_I lost him again._


	10. The Beginning of the Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> Just watched Yuri on Ice, and it was amazing! Anyone ever watch it? Does anyone here even watch anime or am I just a super nerd...? XD   
> ANYWAY. I'm going to be posting two updates for each fic tonight as an apology for how late they've been lately! Life gets in the way! 

After the initial shock, Thomas began panicking. 

He scrambled to his feet, running towards where the Berg had been as if it hadn't really left, after all. As if he scrambled about that spot for awhile, he'd find it, invisible, somewhere. After looking around aimlessly for awhile, it struck him. Chuck was really gone. _Long_ gone. Thomas turned on Jorge and Brenda as his anger and terror skyrocketed far out of control. "You knew that was going to happen!?" he shouted, marching forward. "You said you knew what was happening! You just let that happen?!" 

Jorge put his hands up in surrender. "No!" 

"We didn't!" Brenda snapped, getting right back in his face defensively. Whether she was being defensive of Jorge or herself, Thomas couldn't tell. 

Minho was right behind Thomas in a second, Newt hovering nearby, ready to back him up if it came to that. "I suggest you two start talking." Minho snapped, crossing his arms. 

Brenda calmed down a bit and backed off. "Gladly," she spat, glancing at Jorge before continuing to speak. "We're not really Cranks, we're with WICKED--" she raised her hands, silencing the comments that started flooding in. "--let me finish. We were sent out here to help with the Variables and keep an on you guys as you got here. We were told that we were all gonna get on that Berg, and head back to WICKED for the next phase and for you to get your memories back," she shook her head, staring off. "We never would've agreed to this." 

"I'm so tired of their sneaking around," Jorge growled, kicking up dust angrily. "The least they could do is tell us!" 

Thomas glanced between them, then turned to Minho and Newt who stood behind him. "What do you guys think?" he asked, low. "Do you think their being honest?" 

"I don't shuckin' know anymore," Minho spat, crossing his arms. "Everything seems like a Variable nowadays," he grumbled angrily. "I don't know what to trust now." 

Thomas knew exactly how he felt; everything was becoming questionable.

"Well, we can trust that they got Chuck. And whether these nuts are fakin' or not, we need 'em to get him back," Newt said. "As much as I bloody hate to admit it, without them, we have no idea what we're doin' or where to go." 

Thomas nodded; he was right. 

Thomas turned to them. "Can you get us to where they took him?" 

Brenda and Jorge exchanged glances. Jorge sighed. "Not without a Berg." he said, glancing back at him. "But there's a city. It's far, and will take days to get there, but once we do, we can probably steal one. They come through often. It'd be risky, and might not even work, but it's the only chance we got." 

Thomas sighed, glancing at Minho and Newt. They didn't look against it, so he just nodded. 

"Whatever it takes. We have to get him back." 

 

They continued moving right away. 

Thomas felt like he could barely breathe, thinking about Chuck being gone again.  _What if they kill him? What if he's dead already? But why would they take him away to do that? What's the point of this?_

Thomas' mind was spinning, and his heart was racing. Thomas had a feeling it wasn't going to stop until he got Chuck back. 

_If I get him back._

Thomas shook the thought away. 

Newt put his hand on Thomas' shoulder, snapping him out of it. "We're gonna get him back. Why would WICKED bring him back to life just to kill him again, anyway?" he offered a reassuring smile. "I had to console Chuck when Teresa ran off with you, now here I am, doin' it again." 

Thomas half smiled. "He was worried about me?" 

"Oh yeah," Newt said with a nod. "You woulda thought the girls had pulled your limbs off or somethin'. I had never seen someone look so stressed." 

Thomas laughed a little, and in an odd sort of way, it was touching. Thomas stared forward. "Do you think he's gonna be okay?" 

"I do." Newt said with a nod. "We're gonna go give WICKED a good ol' punch in the face, get Chuckie back, and totally split for good unless they give us a safe haven." 

Thomas nodded. 

"I like that plan." 


	11. The Beginning of a Long Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short little chapter from poor Chuck, please do enjoy!
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

There was fear, but more than anything else, there was anger. Annoyance. 

Chuck stood there, two guards on either side of him, holding weapons. Chuck just glared between them as the Berg continued to smoothly sail through the air. "Where are we going?" 

Nothing. 

"What's the point of this?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "Another stupid Variable?" 

Nothing. 

Chuck just pouted and crossed his arms. These were obviously not the people to be talking to. He was wasting his time. And despite the fact that his legs and fingers were shaking, and that his mind felt numb with fear of what they were going to do with him, there was still more anger than anything else. 

_How many stupid Variables are they going to put Thomas and the others through? How long are these stupid games going to drag on?_

But of course, he'd get no answers whether he spoke his questions out loud or in his head, so he just sighed heavily and waited. 

 

When they landed, Chuck was escorted inside the WICKED compound. 

Janson stood at the doors, waiting with his hands folded. "Hello again." 

Chuck sighed. "Why am I here again? Another Variable?" 

"Indeed," Janson said, dismissing the guards. 

"What are you gonna do to me?" 

"Absolutely nothing. Except keep you here," he said, walking inside. Chuck followed; what else would he do? Turn and run? "This time, we could be keeping you indefinitely. It all depends on Thomas and the others even try to come back to you. If not, we'll expose of you eventually. If so, then Thomas and the others will be acting exactly as we suspected they would." 

Chuck and Janson stopped before a rather normal-looking room. A bunk bed and a dresser, even a small couch in the center. Janson motioned to it. "This is yours. I suggest behaving, else there will be consequences." 

Chuck walked inside, suddenly feeling very alone. 

The door shut behind him, and Chuck didn't even try it--of course it was locked. Chuck walked and sat on the couch, looking about sadly. Completely alone, absolutely no one. And the trip in the Berg felt rather long, he had no idea when he'd see Thomas and the others again. 

_"It all depends on Thomas and the others even try to come back to you."_

Chuck pulled his knees to his chest, his heart dipping in his chest. 

_They'll come back._

_Won't they...?_

 


	12. A Heart That Won't Stop Burning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> Tonight I am going to be starting another request (lovely Newtmas), and another one of my own (From a different fandom. I know, crazy right? Who knew I'd ever write for anything else, lol!) but anyway, the point being, is that I just wanted to specify that this fic will still be updated everyday, even if others aren't, because obviously I started this one first. (And it's a request, I tend to try and update those daily). So no worries. 
> 
> AND. This chapter and the next are gonna be short ones from both of the boys POV now that things have changed and they've been separated and they're working on Chuck's rescue and all that. So enjoy! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Thomas didn't talk to the others very much. 

Even as he told himself over and over that everything would be fine, even after talking with Newt, he always ended up feeling quite angry again. It wasn't fair; he had just got him back, and they took him away again, like they were taunting how powerless he was. 

The thing that made him the angriest was that they were right; he was completely powerless. 

Everything these people had done to his friends and he couldn't do a thing. Even worse, he was with them once. Even that gave him no power over anything now. All he could do was watch and suffer as these people put them through all these Variables. 

Though, not anymore, he supposed. 

He had Jorge and Brenda with him. And while it was getting hard to trust anything, he decided to trust them. Mainly because he didn't have a choice, but also, if they were being truthful, things were about to change. They'd get Chuck back, and they'd get far, far away from here. Even if it meant running from WICKED forever, it'd be worth it. Just to no longer be play things in their games.

All they had to do was get that Berg. 

The trip was definitely going to be a couple days, and just getting back to and crossing the city again would take about two days. Thomas found himself increasingly frustrated when he thought about all the time this was going to take, and how long Chuck would be there, being subjected to God-knows-what.  _They better hope, for their sake, that he's alive and well when I get there._

 

 

Getting to the city took even less time than Thomas had thought.

Apparently, the others were just as worried about Chuck, or just as fed up with WICKED, either way they made it to the city in one full day and even made a decent distance in crossing it. 

But even Thomas couldn't deny himself rest any longer. Will power was a damn good motivator, but it didn't make him body impervious to what it needed. 

As Thomas settled in for some sleep, he could feel Minho and Newt watching him. They probably thought he was a ticking time bomb or something. Thomas did feel a little bad; he wanted to assure them he was fine, but he really wasn't sure if he was or not. 

 

Thomas had expected to have fitful sleep, but was surprised to awake feeling well-rested. 

Minho and Newt were already up, whispering to each other so not to wake the other Gladers. They were whispering about what to expect from Brenda and Jorge. Thomas sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Do you guys not trust them?" Thomas whispered. 

"I don't know." Minho whispered back. "They looked pretty ticked when WICKED left without 'em, but I just don't know how to feel about these people." 

"But Chuck," Newt interjected. "They're his only hope." 

Thomas just nodded. Newt was right. 

"We have to trust them, I get that," Minho whispered, glancing at Thomas. "I just think we should be ready. In case they're not all they say they are."

Thomas swallowed his discomfort. 

Minho was right, too. 


	13. A Mind That Won't Stop Spinning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a second update, from Chuck's POV now that things have settled after all that craziness, and now that things are going to start getting crazy again soon! Please do enjoy :) 
> 
> ***I do NOT own The Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Chuck sat beside the door on his room, occasionally knocking on it weakly.

He'd been doing this for hours. The first time, they opened up and asked what he needed. When he requested to talk somebody and get some answers, they simply shut the door on him again. They'd been ignoring him ever since. 

Chuck didn't expect any to come, of course. He didn't expect any answers, and even if he got any, he didn't expect any that were good. But he continued to try to get some, to pointlessly knock on the door next to him. 

Because what else could he do?

He could sit around and think about it. Think about how stupid it would be for Thomas to try and get him. How if Thomas was smart at all, he'd use this opportunity to escape these whack jobs at WICKED and find somewhere else to go. He could just sit around and think about how that would lead in Chuck spending the rest of his life as a prisoner, whether his life be cut short or not. 

But Chuck decided he'd rather continue to lightly tap on the door next to him. It didn't require any effort, and it didn't require any thought. 

It was safe. It was easy. 

 

Much to Chuck's surprise, the door did open again. 

Janson walked right in, hands folded behind his back, a look of evident annoyance on his face. The door closed behind them, and Janson sighed. "How long have you been knocking on that door?" 

"Awhile." 

"Yes, clearly," Janson muttered. "You'll drive my guards crazy." 

"Oh sorry," Chuck said sarcastically. "I'll just sit here and stare at the wall." 

Janson didn't seem amused. 

"Is there something I can help you with?" 

"I want to know what you think you'll achieve from this," Chuck said carefully, not exactly sure what he wanted to know. All that time wanting answers, and he didn't even know what answers he wanted. "Even if Thomas is stupid enough to come back, he won't work with you when he gets here." 

Janson cleared his throat. "You'd be surprised what someone would do for someone they care about. We need him to finish trying to find the Cure. He's the primary candidate." 

"What does that even mean?" Chuck asked. 

"I'm not going to explain that to you. All you need to know is that we need him, and what better bait than you? He's the most attached to you." Janson said, turning to leave. 

"Wait!" Chuck called. He frowned. "If he gets here, what are you going to make him do?" 

Janson just stared at him for a moment, then smiled. 

"Save us all." 


	14. A City of Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that there was no update yesterday lovelies! 
> 
> I had an unexpected visit from family, and they left earlier today, so it's pretty late here. I'm probably only going to do one quick update tonight, but by tomorrow, there should be two :) 
> 
> Oh, and as a side note, I think I'm just going to make all the characters in this one Immune. The main focus here is Thomas and Chuck anyway, and I'm selfish, and don't want to kill the characters I love XD 
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

It took days. 

Days of nonstop moving, walking, running, rushing. They were all exhausted, but no one complained. No one offered that they should slow down or take a day to rest. Thomas was grateful that the Gladers showed the same drive to get Chuck back as he did, no matter how tiring it was. 

Even Thomas was beginning to wonder how much longer he could push himself (not that he would've stopped, but the thought still crossed his mind), when suddenly, there was something. 

"Please, for the love of everything, tell me that is the city," Minho whined, pointing at something that looked like a wall, enveloping something. 

"That's it," Brenda said with a nod. "That's Denver." 

Thomas let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God..." 

"Oh, what, Mr. Heroic was finally getting tired?" Minho teased, despite the exhaustion on his face. 

Thomas laughed a bit. Jorge took in a deep breath. "I vote that when we get there, we take a day to just get some real food and sleep." he said, looking around at everyone. "Can we do that? We made it to the city in record time, it couldn't hurt." 

Thomas hated to admit it, but they needed it. Especially since they'd be rescuing Chuck soon. If they had no energy left when that time came, everything could fall apart. 

"I vote yes," Thomas said. 

"I bloody second that," Newt huffed. 

"Count me in on that," Minho nodded. 

Agreeances sounded around their entire group. Not a single person said no. 

 _I'm sorry,_ Thomas thought as they continued that way.  _But it's just one day, Chuck. One more day, then I'll be on my way to you._

 

 

Making it to the city was absolutely euphoric. 

Thomas' body willed him to eat and sleep, and the thought of finally being able to do so was nothing short of bliss. 

Getting in was somewhat of a difficult process. They had to break into three groups, and wait hours at a time before coming in; it'd be too suspicious if they all went in at once. So Thomas, Minho, Newt, Brenda, Jorge, Sonya, Harriet, and Aris all volunteered to be a part of the last group. It was dark, almost closing time for the gates when they went through, but they made it. 

They had to go through an odd series of little tasks; identification, obviously. And then brief testing. They were all Immune, of course. But the testing took time, and all Thomas wanted to do was eat something and sleep. He didn't even care where, he'd sleep on the street for all that he cared. Not that that would be necessary. 

When they made it inside, they already knew where they going. Jorge and Brenda had left clear instructions for the Gladers for which motels to go to. They split up among three motels, but they were all within decent range of each other. 

The moment they walked in, Thomas was stunned. 

Even with it beginning to get dark, there were still lots and lots of people out. Many were beginning to rush home, but there were still tons out and about. Thomas wasn't sure he had ever seen so many people. 

"Okay, let's go get some food, I'm starving," Minho said, stealing the words from Thomas' mouth. 

Thomas was going to agree when a man approached them. "You're Thomas," he said, handing over a card. "You should come see as quickly as possible. We've been expecting you." and with that, he walked off. 

Thomas was a bit dumbfounded, but glanced at the card, Minho and the others straining to do the same. 

"What's the Right Arm?" Minho asked. 

"Never mind that, look," Newt said, pointing to the bottom of the card. 

It was signed by Gally. 

 

 _You would not believe the stuff that's going on,_ Thomas thought, as if he could speak to Chuck.  _First a place like this exists, and now Gally may be here._

They were already half way to the designated address. 

Minho was grumpy about it and complained the entire time about how he wanted to eat and get some sleep. Thomas felt the same, but he didn't complain the entire time. Eventually, Newt smacked the back of Minho's head, shutting him up. 

When they knocked on the door, they were shocked. 

It was Gally who answered. 

"I think me, Newt, and Minho can handle this one," Thomas said with a nod. "Wait here." 

No one argued, so Thomas and his friends stepped inside. 

"Gally..." Thomas said, taking a seat where Gally motioned. "I can't believe it." 

He was really alive. Badly beaten, which was Thomas' fault, but alive.

Gally just nodded to them. "Long time, no see." 

Thomas swallowed down the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry. About what I did to you."

Gally shook his head. "No, it was fair. I didn't mean to kill the kid, I was being controlled, but... Still." 

Thomas smiled a little, exchanging glances with Minho and Newt. Gally just stared at him, narrowing his eyes. Thomas smiled. "He's not dead." 

Gally's eyes widened. "What?" 

"He's alive," Thomas said, smiling wider. His smile faded a bit. "He was with us until just a couple days ago. WICKED got him. But that's why we're here, we're going to get him back." 

Gally looked surprised, and Thomas was sure he even saw tears stinging the boys eyes for a moment before he blinked them away. "Well, I think we can help each other out nicely..." 

Minho glanced at Thomas, then Newt, then back at Gally. "What?" 

Thomas' heart rose, daring to let himself hope. "What do you mean?" 

Gally leaned in. "I called you here because we could use your help." 

"With what?" Newt asked suspiciously. 

Gally offered something that resembled a smile. 

"Taking over WICKED." 


	15. To Save Chuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> Very last minute, one of my friends has to rush out of state to see a family member that is (so sadly) passing on, so I am last minute house-sitting. But she doesn't have internet... So I will be gone tomorrow, and gone until late on Saturday or early Sunday! Ah!! So sorry, I will try to update tomorrow before I leave, but I don't know for sure!! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own The Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Thomas' heart leapt up in his chest. 

"You want to take over WICKED?" Newt asked, looking just as shocked as Thomas felt. 

_Chuck._

"How?" Thomas asked eagerly. "You guys have a plan?" 

Minho put his hand on Thomas' shoulder. "Slow down, Thomas, we don't know what's going on here. This could be fake." 

"It's not," Gally assured. "And you don't have to help if you don't want to. But I think if Chuck is taken by them, we should work together to get him back." 

"Tell us your plan, then." Newt said with a nod, looking a bit eager himself. 

Gally shook his head slightly. "Just trust me, we have a way to shut down their weapons, and we have the transportation to get there. With your guys' help, the operation could go much, much smoother. And Vince is in charge, you can come talk to him tomorrow about the details. I don't know all of them myself." 

Thomas nodded a little, leaning back. He glanced at Minho and Newt. "This could be our chance." 

Minho nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe we should talk it over, and then go talk to this Vince guy tomorrow." 

Thomas glanced at Gally, who just nodded patiently. 

"I know how it sounds," Gally said after a second. "The moment you guys get here, I'm trying to get you to join sides with me. But trust me, I'm not deceiving you. We heard you were coming, and I've been waiting for you. At first, I thought having you on board would just be helpful because of more numbers, but now Chuck is involved." Gally glanced aside, shaking his head. "We gotta get him back." 

Thomas was a bit surprised by the sincerity in Gally's eyes. He genuinely wanted to get Chuck back. 

Thomas supposed it was from all the guilt he must've been carrying all that time, thinking Chuck was dead. To find out he didn't kill him, but then immediately find out he was in danger. Thomas could understand. 

Thomas nodded. "We'll talk, and we'll be back tomorrow." 

Gally nodded in return. "I'll see you then." 

They all stood and said their goodbyes, filing out. Thomas stopped in the doorway, glancing back at him. "I'm sure Chuck's not mad at you. It wasn't your fault." 

Gally pulled the ghost of a smile on his face. "Thank you, Thomas. It means a lot." 

Thomas nodded, heading out. The others asked Thomas, Minho, and Newt plenty of questions. They answered them, of course, but Thomas' mind was elsewhere.  _The transportation. A device that can shut down WICKED's weapons? This could be the best chance we're ever going to get. And we'll get to Chuck so much faster..._

Minho snapped his fingers in Thomas' face, snapping him out of it. 

"So," Newt said, annoyed. He must've already said this, but Thomas wasn't listening. "Do you think we can trust him?" 

"I do," Thomas said with a nod. "Maybe I'm just being hopeful, but he looked genuine to me." 

Minho nodded a bit. "Yeah. It was weird to see him again." 

"I agree. But hey," Newt said, looking exhausted suddenly. "Let's eat something and get some sleep. We'll talk it over in the morning, and then head over there." 

Thomas couldn't agree more. He was feeling good, hopeful. But his body wasn't feeling so great. His legs felt heavy, and his stomach was painfully empty. Not to mention the dull thrums of a headache in the back of his head. They'd get Chuck back, but for now, they needed to take care of themselves. 

 

They ate from a vending machine in the motel, which Thomas was more than grateful for. 

And the moment Thomas' head hit the pillow, he was out. It felt like years since he'd been in an actual bed, and it was heaven. 

Even better was the shower the next morning. He spent way too much time in it, but then so did everyone else, so Thomas supposed it was alright. When he came back out, all the others were already sitting around the room, ready to talk. 

Thomas sat on the bed, nodding a bit. "So. What does everyone think?" 

Jorge chewed it over. "If you guys think he can be trusted, this could be a big deal. A group, transport--probably a Berg--, and a device to shut down WICKED's weapons? That's a big, big deal. It could make this recovery mission a breeze." 

Brenda nodded. "But, that being said, do you think we can trust him? I saw him a couple times after what happened. After they made him kill Chuck. And he was definitely not in the best mental state." 

"He seemed okay," Newt said with a nod. "And if WICKED had shucked him up so bad, I doubt he'd been workin' for 'em." 

"Good point," Thomas agreed. "And just trust me, I saw it in his eyes. He cares about getting Chuck back. Maybe it's to clear his conscious, or maybe he really cares, but either way, he wants him back and he wants him safe." 

"Okay, assuming he's completely sane and on our side," Teresa began, "then what would the plan be?" 

"We go back and talk to him later today and get this thing planned." Minho said with a nod. 

"We could be back on our way to WICKED as early as tomorrow, if we're lucky," Thomas thought aloud. "And more people means more help, I doubt he'd mind to have the rest of the Gladers. We could all be out of this city in no time." 

Jorge just shrugged a bit. "It seems nobody has any qualms with it. Should we start spreading news to the others?"

"No, not yet," Thomas said, "let Minho, Newt and I go talk to him again first. Make sure everything is still on, and that he can take all of us. If he can't take all of us, we can't do it. We're not leaving anybody behind." 

Brenda nodded. "Well, get out of here then!" she paused. "But when you get back, we're going to go see Hans." 

Thomas gave her a questioning look, but she just waved her hand dismissively. "One thing at a time." 

 

"Of course we can take all of you. In fact, we  _want_ all of you." 

Thomas sighed in relief. "Okay, good. And what about Vince?" 

"You guys can talk to him anytime," Gally paused. "But one of you mentioned seeing Hans, didn't you?" 

"Yeah," Minho said with a shrug. "Why?" 

"See him first, definitely." Gally said with a nod. 

"Why, who is he?" Newt asked. 

"He used to work for WICKED." Gally tapped his finger to the temple of his head. 

"He can get those nasty mind-control chips out of your head." 


	16. On His Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating lovelies! 
> 
> I updated one of my works yesterday, and then we had a wind storm and my internet was just not working with me. But! Here I am! I'm pretty sick, so I'm going to update each work once, and if I'm feeling well enough, I'll update everything again :) Also, I think it's obvious by now, but the chapters with Chuck's POV right now are pretty short because it's basically just what he's thinking! Either way--Please enjoy! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own the Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

It had been days. 

And Chuck spent them all the same way. First, he would wake up and shower in the small bathroom attached to his bedroom-like-prison. Then he'd sit and wait, thinking about nothing other than Thomas and the Gladers. About midday, he'd be given a rather dull-tasting plate of food--no one ever spoke to him. It was lonely. Chuck would've loved to talk to anybody. He would've been thrilled to see Thomas. 

And every day he woke up, there was the briefest moment of hope that today would be the day that he saw Thomas again. He was let down each night when he went to bed. 

So he just sat on his bed and sighed.  _I hope he's okay,_ he thought. His thoughts were so loud compared to the constant silence in his room.  _I wonder if he's on his way, or if something happened to him and the_ others. _Maybe he's on his way._ his heart fell as he thought about something happening to Thomas and the others; they were his family, he couldn't lose them. 

_I wonder if I'll ever see them again._

So he spent his days in a terribly dreary routine, because there was just nothing else he could do. 

 

Until he heard Rat Man outside his door, whispering something to the guards. 

Chuck clambered out of bed and rushed over, pressing his ear as hard against the door as he could, straining just to catch a couple words. 

He missed lots of it, but he caught some of it: "Keep an....soon...Hans...make sure..." 

Chuck could safely assume "Keep an" was going to become "Keep an eye on him". But before Chuck could try and call out to Rat Man, he heard the man's shoes tapping away on the pristine floors. 

With a thoughtful hum, Chuck sat back on the bed. Why would he want the guards to keep an eye on him more than they already would? 

 _Unless..._ Chuck thought.  _Maybe they're close._

A spark of hope shot through him, and he jumped up to his feet excitedly for no particular reason. 

He put his hand over his mouth to hide his smile.  _Of course they're coming, of course they wouldn't leave me._

Chuck stopped abruptly. 

_It doesn't sound like Rat Man is offering them a welcoming party._

Chuck sat back down worriedly, fidgeting with his hands slightly. 

_Be careful, Thomas._


	17. Hans' help and WICKED's control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> Please do enjoy :)  
> ***I do NOT own The Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Thomas hated waiting more than anything. 

"Do you think he let them in?" Thomas asked, hugging his knees to his chest. "Do you think the surgery went well? Do you think WICKED found them?" 

Minho groaned, pressing his face into his pillow. "Thomas, if you don't stop talking, it's yourself you'll need to be worried about." 

Newt laughed, smacking Minho on the back. "Easy, he's just worried." 

They all sat around the motel room, waiting. Jorge and Brenda had taken a group of them to Hans to see if he'd begin the surgeries to remove the chips from their brains. Minho, Newt, Teresa, and Thomas would be the last ones. They had volunteered to be first, but Jorge and Brenda decided the others should go first, since they were beginning to fall somewhat out of the loop.

Even still, Thomas was itching to get this over with and move on. Chuck was waiting. 

"Think about it, Tommy," Newt said. "If Hans had rejected 'em, they'd be back already." 

"Yeah," Minho said, his face still in his pillow. "So shut up." 

"Not to mention," Teresa chimed in, "Hans must've agreed to help us all. It's been almost all day, so a couple groups must've been through already. At least two." 

Thomas nodded, feeling a bit better. Though, he knew it wouldn't be enough, not until he knew Chuck was okay. And not until they were far, far out of WICKED's grasp. All of them. Not until Thomas could give Chuck a better life. 

"So do you think it hurts?" Minho asked, finally rolling over to look at the others. 

"I hope not," Teresa replied. 

Newt shrugged. "So long as those buggin' chips are out of us, I wouldn't mind it."

Thomas nodded. "I agree. We're never going to get anywhere with these things in our brains. And we can't go rescue Chuck until they're gone, either. So these gotta go." 

Minho nodded, sitting and stretching. "I wonder if we can really take WICKED down." he said thoughtfully. 

"I don't know for sure," Thomas said, pulling his knees in tighter against his chest. "But we have to. That's all there is to it." 

 

Thomas was jolted out of an odd state between sleep and waking when the door opened. 

Whatever drowsiness that had been holding him shook right off when he saw Jorge and Brenda. Thomas jumped up to his feet. "Well?"

"It's your turn, hermanos," Jorge said, offering a tired smile. 

Thomas smiled, relieved. Minho stood up, yawning. "Alright, alright. Let's get this over with. I need a nap before we go storming in and taking over the government." 

Amused, Thomas followed. 

 

It was almost pitch-black as they rushed through the streets. 

Which Thomas supposed was both a blessing and a curse; it meant there were less people to notice them, but it also meant if anyone  _did_ notice them, it'd be pretty suspicious. Though, they managed to make it without trouble. 

The house was small and plain. The man inside was the complete opposite; he was big and tall, and his eyes were steely. Almost cold. Thomas had to admit, he was a little intimidated. 

"How many more after these ones?" he asked, his voice deep and gruff as his eyes scanned over them. 

"Just these last four," Brenda said with a nod. 

Hans nodded. "Alright. Let me get set up." 

"What exactly happens in this procedure?" Teresa asked before he could walk away. 

Hans turned around like he was going to be annoyed, but he saw the nervous look on Teresa's face and softened just slightly. "I'm just gonna make a small incision and get that thing out. You'll get a sedative, and you won't feel a thing. When you wake up, you'll have a headache for a bit, but that's it." 

Teresa nodded, looking much more confident. 

With that, Hans turned, disappearing. 

The operation seemed simple enough. Even still, Thomas suddenly began to feel sick. He braced himself against the wall, an ache beginning in his head. 

Minho frowned. "Woah there, you alright Thomas?" 

Teresa rested a hand on Thomas' arm. "Tommy? Are you okay?" 

Thomas felt his hands and legs begin to shake as the pain spiked. He groaned, falling to his knees. Then all at once, the pain was gone. He was fine. Then he was standing without realizing it. He tried to make some sort of sound, but he couldn't even move his mouth to produce it. 

Something was very wrong. 

Newt looked him up and down worriedly. "Tommy, you alright?" he asked slowly. 

Thomas wanted to tell him that he definitely wasn't, but he took a halting step forward instead. By now, the others had caught on that something was definitely not right. Brenda suddenly gasped. "Thomas, you've got to fight it!" 

Just as she said it, he leapt forward, pouncing into Minho. Minho and he stumbled to the ground, scrambling for purchase. It was Thomas who got it, pinning Minho down. His heart was racing; this strength seemed impossible. He wanted to scream, tell Minho to run, or anything, but all he could do was panic as his arm went reeling back. 

Newt slammed into him, rolling onto the ground with him. Newt managed to use the surprise to pin Thomas for a moment. "What is wrong with you--snap out of it!" he shouted. 

Thomas twisted his hips, throwing Newt off. Thomas crawled towards him, but Jorge grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him away. "Oh no you don't!" he shouted, securing his arms under Thomas' and holding him in place. 

Hans was there, a needle in hand. A sedative.  _Thank God._

Thomas' body betrayed him, thrashing and kicking and fighting. But with everyone there, they managed to hold him down. Newt held out Thomas' arm, and Hans didn't hesitate, stabbing the needle into his skin. Thomas was barely aware of the pinprick of pain; he more noticed the way his body began to wind down and relax. Relief flooded him as feeling left him. As darkness began taking him, he muttered out a thank you, though he wasn't sure if it actually worked out or not. 

_Just hang in there, Chuck. We'll be there soon._


	18. No Time to Waste

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> So sorry about the disappearance, my schedule was pretty tight the past couple days, and it might be tomorrow as well, but I still should be able to update tomorrow, so no worries there. Please do enjoy! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own The Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Thomas dreamt of the Maze. 

He dreamt of all of them there together, when their only issue was getting out of the Maze. He dreamt of Chuck, safe and sound within the Walls. When he awoke, the feelings clung to him. He had to wonder if this was better than the Maze. The Maze had danger in it, but it was mostly contained. Anything could happen out here, and anything that could happen, would happen. They had WICKED hounding them, and WICKED had Chuck. But. If nothing else, it was freedom, and that was the most important thing. It had to be. 

"Finally up?" 

Thomas blinked a couple times, taking a moment to remind himself where he was; what had happened. He sat up, his head protesting. He winced, rubbing it slightly as he glanced at Newt. "Yeah... Are you guys okay?" 

"After your little freak out?" Newt asked, rubbing his eyes--he must've just woken recently. "Yeah, we're fine. Do you feel alright now?" 

"Yeah, I think so," Thomas said with a nod, looking around. 

Teresa was asleep nearby, and Minho was asleep, sitting in a chair. He could the hear hushed voices of Hans and Brenda and Jorge in the other room. Thomas let out a sigh of relief; everyone really was okay. If someone had gotten injured because of him, especially these people so close to him, he didn't know what he would've done with himself. "So he got the things out of our heads?" 

Newt nodded, rubbing his head. "Am I the only one with a bloody headache?" 

"No, I've got one too," Thomas groaned. All he wanted to do was lay down and sleep for ages, but he knew they should be moving by tomorrow morning. Which it was probably creeping up on anyway. Chuck was waiting, and so was Gally. And Vince. 

Minho stirred, stretching as he awoke. "Well hey there Thomas, no more psychotic outbursts?" 

Thomas just rolled his eyes; which hurt his head. 

Hans returned and checked over them, making sure everyone was looking okay. He warned them they should sleep as soon as possible, but they all exchanged wary glances. Every single one of them knew they weren't going to be sleeping very much. 

They thanked Hans, who assured them that if it weren't for his wife, he would've joined them. He wanted WICKED to fall just as much, but he had family to protect. Thomas understood; Hans seemed like a good man. 

"So now what?" Minho asked as they walked through the streets, back to their apartment. It had been nightfall when they went to Hans, now it was a dawn blue breaking across the sky. Touches of pale oranges and pinks were beginning to touch the sky as the sun was beginning to make its way up. They'd been there for a couple hours, it seemed. 

"We've got to go see Vince." Thomas answered. 

"No, no," Brenda said. "You guys need to nap for at least two hours. You should be sleeping much, much more, but I know you won't rest." 

Thomas didn't like it one bit, but he supposed there was nothing he could do. They needed some inkling of rest, at least, and Gally and Vince probably wouldn't be up yet anyways. As much as he hated it, he'd have to make Chuck wait. 

 

When he awoke again, he felt infinitely better. 

His head was no longer thrumming, and he felt completely alive. As the others woke up, they seemed to feel the same. 

"Minho, Newt and I will go again," Thomas said once everyone had woken up. "The rest of you can stay here. Spread the news to the others that we're going to talk to them, and have everyone be ready to move in case this all goes well..." 

Teresa didn't seem pleased about being left behind, but she just nodded. Brenda and Jorge did the same. 

"Be careful," Brenda said, nodding at each of them. "If something goes wrong, get back here fast."

Thomas nodded, and they were on their way. 

 

Gally opened the door the second they knocked. 

"I was hoping you'd come back," Gally said, standing in the doorway. "So. You've decided? You want to talk to Vince?" 

"We do," Thomas said confidently. 

"And no more chips in your brains?" Gally asked. 

"Nope, the buggers are long gone," Newt chimed in with a nod. 

Gally nodded a bit, stepping out. "He's across town, let's go."

They all got a cab together. It crossed Thomas' mind that he should be worried; that he was being driven to the other side of town with someone who used to hate him. It crossed his mind that this all could've been a trap. But it didn't really bother him; there was just something in him that assured him Gally, at least, could be trusted. He'd find out about Vince for himself. 

When they got there, it wasn't really what Thomas was expecting. 

Just another set of apartments. Nothing special, not even close. Gally laughed slightly when he saw the surprised glances on their faces. "We move around often. And we don't want to make ourselves obvious. Come on." 

Gally led them inside. When they reached the right door, they were let in by a man who recognized Gally. He watched Thomas and the other warily, but didn't say a word. 

There was a man sitting inside with an air of leadership. He was a big man, more fat than muscle. He looked them up and down, but his face was unreadable. Though there was something on it that Thomas didn't like. But if this man was his ticket to Chuck, he could endure it. 

"These are the ones you told me about?" Vince asked, eyeing them down, but addressing Gally.

"Yeah. This is Thomas, this is Newt, and this is Minho." Gally said, motioning to each one. 

"And you trust them?" 

Gally glanced at Thomas for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, they can be trusted." 

Vince leaned forward.

"Then let's get to business. We're taking down WICKED. Are you in?" 


	19. So Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> Gosh, it's really cold here, my fingers are freezing!!   
> But I managed to type anyway, so please do enjoy! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own The Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Thomas was in, wholly and completely. 

When Vince asked the question, he was nodding before Vince had even finished asking. Thomas had expected some hesitance from the others, but the moment the question was asked, Newt and Minho simply nodded just as fast. 

It seemed everyone had already did all the thinking they needed to do; it was time to act. 

Vince was clearly pleased by this, and wasted no more of their precious time, of Chuck's precious time--which Thomas was obviously grateful for. Ever since they had gotten in this town, Thomas had felt like they had been moving way too slow. 

"We have a device. Once activated within the WICKED compound, it'll shut down WICKED's weapons." Vince said, suddenly all business. "We want to send someone in, separate from the rest of us, to sneak in and turn on this device. It takes about an hour or two to go into full effect, so we can't just go in there guns blazing. Originally, finding someone to go in was going to be somewhat of a problem. But then Gally told me about you--that you escaped from WICKED, that you were important to them..." a wicked smile found his face. "So, I was hoping you'd agree to work with us. Because I have a very special job for you." 

Minho crossed his arms. "Hang on, you want to send him in there all by himself?" Minho scoffed. "Yeah, that's genius." 

Of course, the moment Minho spat out those words, arguments broke out. Newt and Minho tried to defend Thomas, while Vince and Gally tried to explain it'd work. Though Thomas didn't catch much of it. In fact, he barely heard it. Instead, he stared off and he thought. 

After taking a moment to sort his thoughts, Chuck at the forefront of all of them, he spoke up again. 

"Actually, it  _is_ genius." 

Newt shook his head, looking over at Thomas like he was absolutely nuts. "How can you bloody say that?! Those WICKED freaks could kill you!" 

"That's the thing, though," Thomas said, nodding as he spoke, nodding as he understood why Vince had suggested this in the first place. "They  _won't_ kill me. I'm important to them. Any of us from the Trials are, but they always talked about me... They want me alive. Whether that's because they want more tests, or whether it's to get some kind of cure out of me, they want to use me. And if they want a cure, they need me alive." 

Minho and Newt exchanged glances. Judging by the disdain on their faces, they understood where Thomas and Vince's logic was coming from. That didn't mean they liked it, though.

"So does that mean you lot have an idea for the cure, then?" Minho asked, glancing between Vince and Gally. 

Vince shook his head. "Heavens, no." he looked across their faces, then leaned back in his chair. "Something you kids need to understand is that there is no hope for a cure. And if there was one out there, the only way WICKED will look for it is if they're slaughtering and torturing kids." he leaned forward again, folding his hands on the table. "And I think we all know that's not working. There's nothing to hope for with WICKED in charge. But if we take over, we can take those precious resources, technology, and money to push for a conservation effort." 

"A conservation effort?" Newt asked. 

"Yes," Vince said with a nod. "Keep the healthy alive and well. Keep the infected separated, but treated humanely." 

Thomas nodded a bit, mainly to himself than anyone else. It was a lot to think about; a world that was somewhat normal? Safe, even. It seemed completely unreal at this point, after everything they'd been through. After going through the Scorch, trying to imagine that place, those people, in a safe, controlled environment. It almost seemed as unlikely as looking for a Cure. 

But it was possible. And no one would be hurt like they are now for WICKED's sick purposes. 

Maybe it wouldn't work, but Thomas was willing to put it all on the line just for the  _chance_ to give Chuck a normal life. 

A normal life, without WICKED. 

"I'll do it." Thomas said with a nod. "I'll go in with the device." 

Minho swallowed down some protest, and Newt didn't try to hide the heavy sigh. But neither argued; how could they? It was a solid plan. 

Vince nodded, standing. "Perfect." he said, heading towards the door, pausing to look over them for a moment. 

"Let's get this started." 

 

Thomas may not have liked the vibe he got from Vince, but he  _loved_ the way Vince wasted no time. 

They moved to a much bigger headquarters along the outskirts of town. An old, run-down hangar-like building. There were no Bergs inside, but there were lots of vans and other vehicles. There were many people walking about, and all of them regarded Vince with respect. 

Vince sent some of his men to retrieve the rest of the Gladers. Newt went with them, so the Gladers would actually trust these men. 

Thomas was rushed into a room, where a woman who was all business packed him a backpack. Warm clothes, food, the device. She showed him how to use it, and he was on his way. 

They made him rest for a couple hours while everything was being tied together. 

Thomas was sure he wouldn't be able to get even a wink of sleep, but the moment he got comfortable, he was out. He really had been neglecting good rest. As he fell asleep, all he could think was,  _just a little longer. Once Chuck is safe, I'll get a full night's sleep..._

He couldn't wait. 

When he was awoke again, though, he was a live wire. Energy coursed through him; he felt reborn. Just a nap was enough for now. 

Things were happening fast; before he knew it, he was bidding Minho and the others a quick farewell, and was in a van, heading to a hangar outside of the city with the pilot who'd be dropping him off at the compound. 

And somehow, the ride there was relatively smooth. And, following the theme of the day, pretty quick. 

When they reached the hangar, Thomas ate a quick snack and rested while the pilot prepared the hangar. It felt a bit surreal, to be so far from the others. He had never been quite this far from them. And at the same time, he was, dare he say,  _excited._ He was going to see Chuck again. 

Or, at the very least, know what happened to him. 

He fidgeted with his backpack. 

_You better be okay, Chuck. I'm on my way._

 

"I have to stop here." 

Thomas glanced at his pilot. 

She gave him a somewhat apologetic glance. "If I go any farther, they'll notice us," she said, beginning to land the Berg. "You're gonna have to walk from here." 

Thomas didn't mind, he just wanted to get there. 

The moment he walked outside, he was surprised by the cold. And the snow. It was almost shocking; how could the Scorch and this snow exist on the same Earth? He pulled on the jacket he'd been given, double-checked the device, then made his way. 

He walked at a brisk pace, but definitely didn't neglect the scenery. The cold air filled his lungs; it was so fresh and crisp. 

The snow didn't last long, before he knew it, he was on damaged, cracked earth again. And now, the compound was in sight. He took a deep breath and began to rush. His heart was beating in his ears; he was so close. He'd either be killed on sight, imprisoned right away, or everything would go as planned. 

When he was still about fifty feet away, the doors opened. 

A familiar, ratty-face stared at him expectantly. 

Thomas quickened his pace, stopping before him. Janson smiled approvingly. "You came back." 

"I want to help people," he said, nodding a bit. "After everyone I lost, I just... I want to help with the cure." 

Pleased, Janson motioned for Thomas to come inside. "Come, come, we have lots to talk about. I'll take you to my office, and we'll-" 

"No." 

"No?" Janson asked, looking more confused than annoyed. 

"No." he repeated, chewing the inside of his cheek. 

He had a plan to focus on. 

But instead, he just stared Janson down as he spoke. 

"I want to see Chuck first. Right now." 


	20. We Can Do This, We Have to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies!
> 
> I just redecorated my room for absolutely no reason! It feels much cozier now. And now that that's done (I spent way too much time on it), I can update! It'll probably be a bit short, just because I realized I didn't have too much planned for this chapter, my bad! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own The Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

Janson seemed to half-expect that would be Thomas' demand, so he led him through the halls with no complaints. 

Thomas swallowed down his rising apprehension;  _he better be okay._

When he saw a door with a couple guards standing out front, his heart leapt up into his throat. Janson stopped before them, dismissing them. He glanced at Thomas, looking a bit annoyed. "I'll give you and the boy an hour. Then we must really get down to business." 

Thomas just nodded, his heart racing. 

The moment the door opened, Thomas was flooded with relief. 

Chuck was just sitting on a bed. He was completely unharmed. He was okay. 

Chuck looked at him, his eyes widening. "Thomas!" he practically screamed, jumping to his feet and running to him. Thomas met him half way, hearing the door close almost immediately behind him. He didn't mind, he barely even noticed. 

When Chuck crashed into him, the boy was already crying. Thomas' heart twisted; he could only imagine what it must've been like to wait for him like that. 

Thomas wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in as tightly as he could. "I'm so sorry," he muttered, "I'm so sorry I took so long." 

Chuck just cried into Thomas' stomach, clinging to him. 

Thomas let out a sigh of relief; "We're alright," Thomas assured, resting a hand on Chuck's head. "We're not getting split up again. Not like this." 

"Promise?" Chuck hiccuped. 

"Promise." 

 

"So what is this thing exactly?" Chuck asked, kneeling by his bed and peeking underneath where Thomas had planted the device. 

"Shh," Thomas warned, glancing at the door. "Keep your voice down." 

 Chuck nodded. "So what is it?" he asked again, whispering this time. 

Thomas looked around as if someone else was around to watch them, then scooted in closer. "I've got a lot to tell you." he whispered. 

"Do it," Chuck whispered. 

Thomas nodded. "First, Gally is alive, and--" 

"Hold on, hold on," Chuck whispered urgently. "Gally?  _Gally?_ Like the Gally from the Maze, Gally?" 

Thomas would've laughed if the situation had been any different. "Yes, Gally. He's alive. And he's so guilty about what happened... He didn't want to do it, WICKED had him under their control." 

Chuck didn't seem surprised. "I had a feeling it wasn't really him." 

Thomas smiled on Gally's behalf. "You'll have to tell him when you see him again." 

"Which will be when exactly?" 

"Right, so, Gally works with a group that wants to take over WICKED. Long story short, they're the good guys." he said, trying to collect his thoughts. "And they sent me with the device. The one under your mattress. It's deactivating WICKED's weapons right now. By the time they get here in a couple hours, WICKED will have no high-tech weapons." 

Chuck nodded, his eyes falling to the floor thoughtfully. "So... Things are going to be okay?" 

Thomas smiled warmly, resting his hand on Chuck's head. "They will be. Maybe a little rough until then, but they will be." 

Chuck just smiled and nodded. "Good. Because I'm tired of all this klunk." 

Thomas just laughed; the feeling was impossibly light and intoxicating; when was the last time he had been at ease enough to  _actually_ laugh? 

Chuck seemed to be feeling the same way, because once they started, neither of them could stop. 

 

Thomas was sitting in one of the plush chairs in Chuck's little room, feeling like he might doze off. 

They spent some time considering what was going to happen next and how it was all going to work out, if at all. Now a silence had begun to well, and Thomas could barely stay awake. 

Chuck sat on his bed, across from Thomas. He smirked. "Tired? Or am I just boring you?" 

Thomas chuckled softly, rubbing his eyes. "Tired." 

"Get some sleep," Chuck said, yawning himself. "I think I could use some, too." 

Thomas settled in the soft chair, but continued speaking. "Was the wait bad?" 

Chuck nodded thoughtfully. "It was lonely. But I think I knew you were gonna show up. Even when I wasn't sure, I knew." 

Thomas was indescribably relieved. To know that Chuck had known, somewhere deep down, that he'd come back for him--it set him even more at ease. 

"We can do this," Thomas said as he was beginning to slip away into the most relaxed sleep he'd had in days. 

"We have to." Chuck agreed. 

They had to, and they would. 


	21. Just Need to Stall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> So sorry for the wait, we had some super crazy winds here! Internet and cell signal went out, and power was on and off. But it's over, and I am here with two updates to make up for it! Please enjoy! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own The Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

The knocking on the door startled them both. 

Thomas looked at Chuck apologetically. "That's probably for me." 

Chuck's heart was gripped by pure terror. "Why?" he asked, fighting the rising panic that was swelling up in his chest. "Where are they going to take you? What are they going to do?!" 

"Calm down, it's alright," Thomas assured, placing a hand on Chuck's shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. Chuck immediately calmed, but still swallowed hard to keep his voice from wavering as he continued to speak. "What do they want?"

"Janson said he wanted me to talk to him and some other people in his office. Just a meeting," Thomas explained, standing. "But it's okay," he offered an assuring smile, then lowered his voice. "The others will be here soon enough, so whatever it is won't even matter." 

Chuck had to admit, he felt infinitely better. He wasn't sure if Thomas was good at calming people down, or Chuck was easily influenced, but either way he wasn't complaining. 

Thomas nodded, pleased that Chuck had calmed, then turned and opened the door. Janson stood on the other side. "Evening, boys." he said, as formal as ever. He smiled at Thomas, obviously pleased Thomas had come back. "If you're ready now, we'd like to have a meeting with you." 

Thomas just nodded. "I'm ready." 

"He'll be coming back here after the meeting though, right?" Chuck blurted, not able to help himself. He didn't want to be alone again. 

"If that's what he wants, then of course." Janson said simply, then motioned for Thomas to come with him. "Shall we?" 

Thomas nodded, then smiled at Chuck. "I'll be back in no time at all. So don't worry." 

And as the door shut, Chuck was reminded how alone he had been before Thomas had come for him.

And how alone he'd be if Thomas didn't come back. 

 

'No time at all' turned out to be quite a bit of time, actually. 

And despite Thomas calming him down before he had left, it was all gone just moments after Thomas had left. Chuck could barely think straight; his mind was numb with fear.  _What if he doesn't come back? What if I'm all alone again?_

_I don't think I can do it again._

Chuck sighed, sitting on the bed. He peeked underneath it where the device was. Of course Thomas would come back. Whether on his own or with the Gladers. Either way, he'd be back in his room. 

If Chuck recited it enough, he felt almost okay. Though it was like using cardboard to stop a flow of water. It'd work for a bit, but it'd be unstable and tense the entire time. And soon, it'd just pull apart under the weight of it all.  

Chuck sighed and laid back on the bed, his mind spinning with what they could possibly be talking about. The cure? 

Chuck had lost hope in the cure, but maybe if all they needed was some of Thomas' blood or something, then who knows? He had no idea how they'd extract a cure, and if it'd hurt or not, but the thought was almost comforting. A real cure. Part of Chuck was even beginning to hope they could get a cure from him. 

As he mused the idea of a world free of Cranks, and free of places like the Scorch, the door clicked open. 

Thomas stepped inside, looking shaken. Very careful, he shut the door. Chuck only caught a glimpse of it as the door closed, but Janson wore a somewhat solemn expression. More empathetic than actually upset, though. 

"What happened?" Chuck asked worriedly. 

Thomas swallowed hard, walking over to one of the plush chairs, sinking into it. His eyes stared off and he exhaled through his nose, looking almost thoughtful if not stressed out. 

"What is it?!" Chuck asked, borderline panicking. 

Thomas glanced up at him. "Um." he cleared his throat, starting to look like himself again. "They had a lot to say." 

Chuck sat in front of him. "Like?" 

"Like they need me for a cure." 

Chuck's heart jumped up, a smile finding his face. "Really? That's great! How does it work?" 

"Well," Thomas began. "They'd dissect my brain. To find out what makes me Immune." 

Chuck's heart plummeted. "Wait." 

Thomas nodded. 

"It'd kill you?" Chuck asked anyway, even though both of them knew what that meant. 

"Yep." Thomas said. 

Chuck, again, had to fight the panic. "Well... Did you say no?! What's happening?" 

"Well I can't really say no, that'd ruin the whole plan. They'd suspect something," he said, his voice low. "But I told them I want some time with you, and some time to eat and rest and all that." 

Chuck nodded. "We just need to stall." 

"We just need to stall," Thomas repeated with a nod. "It shouldn't be long. They'll be here in time." 

"I know they will," Chuck said, making himself sound as confident as he possibly could. For Thomas. And maybe a bit for himself, too. 

Suddenly, Chuck's hopes for a cure were gone.

And knowing how they'd wish to obtain it; Chuck had a feeling that hope was never coming back. 

A cure was impossible. 


	22. They Better Hurry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another quick update, please do enjoy! 
> 
> ***I do NOT own The Maze Runner series or any of the characters!***

He had to act like it wasn't bothering him. 

He had to act like it was no big deal. Like it was just some unpleasant news, and nothing more. Because if he were to show how nervous he was, how shaken that had conversation had made him, Chuck would panic. 

And after all Chuck had been through, and all the fear and uncertainty he'd been put through, Thomas wouldn't let him suffer through anymore of it. 

So Thomas pretended that sitting in that room, listening to those people--strangers--tell him they'd have to take his brain, didn't bother him at all. He got little comfort from their empathy, though it seemed at least a  _little_ genuine. Their gentleness on the subject was the only reason Thomas hadn't completely freaked out. 

But he requested food, some time to rest, and spend a few last moments with Chuck, and they let him. 

Now all Thomas needed to do was ride this out for as long as he could; he needed to stall, if he was to save his own life. And if he was to keep Chuck from having a heart attack. 

As they ate, Thomas noticed the way Chuck savored it. Thomas imagined they had given Chuck much cheaper food that entire time, and it really struck Thomas how wrong it was. That this young kid had gone through so much fear and loneliness. All Thomas could do was feel guilty he hadn't gotten there sooner. 

After they ate, they lounged about, talking. 

"So how are things with you and Teresa?" 

Thomas just shrugged. "I don't know. I really want to forgive her, ya know. But it's like I have no choice in the matter; my heart has already decided she can't be trusted, and that she's just, well, bad. Even though I know she's not." 

Chuck nodded a bit. "And what about Jorge and Brenda? Did they leave?" 

"No actually," Thomas said, forgetting Chuck wasn't around to hear any of this. "They worked for WICKED. Apparently, when we got to the safe zone, that Berg was supposed to come and take all of us to safety before they began the next Phase. But WICKED didn't tell them they had just decided to take you. They're pretty mad about it." 

"You think they can be trusted?" 

"I do." 

They talked about a handful of other things; of Hans, and how he took the chip from their heads. Of Gally, and how he was really real and not, well, terrible. Of Vince, and how he made Thomas uncomfortable, but he was a man who would get things done. 

Chuck told Thomas about all the time he had waited. About how he was so unsure whether to expect Thomas to walk through the door, or just accept his life. It saddened Thomas a bit, but when Chuck explained his happiness when Thomas  _did_ walk through that door, he felt a bit better. 

When they burned through their conversation topics, they napped. 

Anything to stall. 

Not to mention, Thomas could really use more sleep. His body was rested, but now he was emotionally and mentally worn out. 

They slept for awhile, at least an hour, but it seemed their ability to stall wasn't going to help them. 

Janson opened the door. He looked slightly impatient, but still empathetic. "Thomas." he said gently. "We need to do this now. We can't wait much longer." 

Thomas swallowed the lump in his throat, casting a glance at Chuck. Chuck just watched in terror. Again, Thomas had to remind himself that he couldn't let himself look terrified, or else it would make Chuck panic. Thomas stood, nodding. "Okay." 

He was terrified. 

Every step towards the door he became more terrified. 

"Thomas!" Chuck cried, sprinting forward and hugging Thomas from behind as he was walking out. "You can't, you have to stay here!" 

Thomas' heart broke, but he turned to Chuck and knelt before him. "Hey." he grabbed Chuck's shoulders with both hands and gave them a squeeze. It was a bit hard, but Chuck seemed grateful for it. "I'm gonna be fine. I'll see you soon. Real soon," he said, sending the quickest glance towards Chuck's bed, where the device remained hidden underneath. 

Chuck just nodded, hugging him again briefly. "I better see you soon," Chuck whispered, then backed off. 

Thomas stood, nodding to himself and Chuck, then turned and followed Janson. 

_They better hurry._


	23. Author's Note!

Hey guys!

I'm so, so sorry for the silence. Don't worry, I'm still here! My mom lost one of her jobs, so we can't afford internet at the moment. I'm so sorry I haven't had a chance to update you guys until now!

She should be getting a much better job soon, but sadly, until then, I don't have a means to update. I wish I was here, updating you all with another chapter, rather than an author's note, but I'm just at the library for a very short time today! And since we've moved I live so far from my friends, so I haven't been able to mooch off internet or anything.

But! I'm going to be going for a job once this quarter ends, but we'll probably have internet back way before then. I'll speak to you all as soon as I can!

Love you all, I miss you, but I'll be back!


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